Adages and Proverbs Worksheets 5th Grade

Print worksheet gives 5 common proverbs with three meanings each: circle what the saying means.

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Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.Adages and proverbsDon't count your chickens before they're hatched. This saying means:.count eggs each morningdo not rely on what has not happenedplan on every good thingEvery rose has its thorn. This saying means:.roses should be cut shortnice things have no downsidegood things come with some troubleSilence is golden. This saying means:.gold makes no soundsometimes saying nothing is bestalways speak your mindThe proof of the pudding is in the eating. This saying means:.you only know it works by trying ityou can judge it before tryingpudding must be eaten coldVariety is the spice of life. This saying means:.new and different things keep life funspicy food is the best fooddoing the same thing is best
Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.Adages and proverbsAnswer keyDon't count your chickens before they're hatched. This saying means:.count eggs each morningdo not rely on what has not happenedplan on every good thingEvery rose has its thorn. This saying means:.roses should be cut shortnice things have no downsidegood things come with some troubleSilence is golden. This saying means:.gold makes no soundsometimes saying nothing is bestalways speak your mindThe proof of the pudding is in the eating. This saying means:.you only know it works by trying ityou can judge it before tryingpudding must be eaten coldVariety is the spice of life. This saying means:.new and different things keep life funspicy food is the best fooddoing the same thing is bestdo not rely on what has not happenedgood things come with some troublesometimes saying nothing is bestyou only know it works by trying itnew and different things keep life fun
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All 155 sentences

Finish the proverb 78

  • A bad workman always blames his ___. boots, boss, tools
  • A bird in the hand is worth two in the ___. bush, nest, tree
  • A chain is only as strong as its weakest ___. link, lock, loop
  • A friend in need is a friend ___. always, forever, indeed
  • A leopard cannot change its ___. spots, stripes, tail
  • A picture is worth a thousand ___. colors, frames, words
  • A problem shared is a problem ___. doubled, halved, hidden
  • A rolling stone gathers no ___. dust, moss, mud
  • A stitch in time saves ___. five, nine, twelve
  • A watched pot never ___. boils, burns, cools
  • Actions speak louder than ___. drums, songs, words
  • All that glitters is not ___. glass, gold, silver
  • All's well that ___ well. ends, looks, starts
  • April showers bring May ___. flowers, puddles, storms
  • The best things in life are ___. free, hidden, rare
  • Better safe than ___. sad, slow, sorry
  • The bigger they are, the harder they ___. fall, laugh, push
  • Birds of a feather ___ together. flock, nest, sing
  • Don't count your ___ before they're hatched. chickens, ducks, turtles
  • Don't look a gift ___ in the mouth. dog, horse, lion
  • Don't put all your ___ in one basket. apples, eggs, socks
  • The early bird gets the ___. nest, seed, worm
  • Easy come, easy ___. go, stay, win
Show all 155 sentences (132 more)

Finish the proverb, continued

  • Every cloud has a ___ lining. golden, purple, silver
  • Every dog has its ___. bark, bone, day
  • Every rose has its ___. leaf, stem, thorn
  • First come, first ___. gone, seated, served
  • Good fences make good ___. farmers, gardens, neighbors
  • Good things come to those who ___. ask, run, wait
  • The grass is always ___ on the other side. greener, softer, taller
  • Haste makes ___. noise, speed, waste
  • He who hesitates is ___. last, late, lost
  • History ___ itself. forgets, repeats, writes
  • Honesty is the best ___. gift, habit, policy
  • Hope for the best, prepare for the ___. rest, test, worst
  • If you can't beat them, ___ them. chase, ignore, join
  • If you want a thing done well, do it ___. slowly, twice, yourself
  • Let sleeping dogs ___. bark, dream, lie
  • Lightning never strikes twice in the same ___. place, storm, tree
  • Make hay while the sun ___. sets, shines, sleeps
  • Many hands make ___ work. hard, light, slow
  • The more the ___. louder, merrier, slower
  • Necessity is the mother of ___. invention, patience, trouble
  • Never put off until ___ what you can do today. Friday, later, tomorrow
  • No news is ___ news. good, old, sad
  • Nothing ventured, nothing ___. broken, gained, lost
  • Old habits die ___. fast, hard, young
  • Once bitten, twice ___. angry, brave, shy
  • One good turn deserves ___. another, applause, thanks
  • One man's trash is another man's ___. lunch, treasure, trouble
  • Out of sight, out of ___. luck, mind, reach
  • People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw ___. balls, parties, stones
  • Practice makes ___. noise, perfect, tired
  • The proof of the pudding is in the ___. bowl, cooking, eating
  • Rome wasn't built in a ___. day, week, year
  • Seeing is ___. believing, knowing, looking
  • Silence is ___. boring, empty, golden
  • Slow and ___ wins the race. quiet, sleepy, steady
  • Something is better than ___. anything, everything, nothing
  • The squeaky wheel gets the ___. blame, grease, prize
  • Still waters run ___. cold, deep, fast
  • Strike while the iron is ___. heavy, hot, new
  • There's no time like the ___. past, present, weekend
  • Tomorrow is another ___. day, week, year
  • Too many cooks spoil the ___. bread, broth, salad
  • Two heads are better than ___. none, one, three
  • Two wrongs don't make a ___. left, mess, right
  • Variety is the ___ of life. price, secret, spice
  • Waste not, ___ not. want, wish, work
  • Well begun is half ___. done, lost, wrong
  • When in Rome, do as the ___ do. neighbors, Romans, tourists
  • When one door closes, another ___. locks, opens, squeaks
  • When the cat's away the ___ will play. birds, dogs, mice
  • Where there's smoke, there's ___. fire, fog, rain
  • You can catch more flies with ___ than with vinegar. honey, nets, water
  • You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it ___. drink, run, swim
  • You can't judge a book by its ___. cover, size, title
  • You can't teach an old dog new ___. names, songs, tricks

What it means 77

  • A bad workman always blames his tools. This saying means: ___. cheap tools break fast / good tools do all the work / it is easy to blame tools for poor work
  • A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This saying means: ___. a sure thing beats a maybe / always trade for more / wild birds make good pets
  • A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This saying means: ___. chains should be heavy / one weak part can fail the whole group / the strongest member decides
  • A friend in need is a friend indeed. This saying means: ___. a true friend helps in hard times / friends are only for fun days / needy friends ask too much
  • A leopard cannot change its spots. This saying means: ___. a person's nature does not change / anyone can become someone new / leopards have many spots
  • A picture is worth a thousand words. This saying means: ___. long books need no pictures / pictures cost a lot of money / showing can explain more than telling
  • A problem shared is a problem halved. This saying means: ___. keep your troubles to yourself / math problems come in pairs / telling someone makes trouble lighter
  • A stitch in time saves nine. This saying means: ___. fix a small problem before it grows / sewing takes nine tries / wait until things break
  • A watched pot never boils. This saying means: ___. pots boil only at night / staring makes water hot / waiting makes time feel slow
  • Actions speak louder than words. This saying means: ___. loud people win arguments / promises matter more than deeds / what you do matters more than talk
  • All that glitters is not gold. This saying means: ___. everything shiny is valuable / gold never shines / shiny things are not always valuable
  • All's well that ends well. This saying means: ___. a good ending makes up for trouble / nothing ever ends well / only the start matters
  • April showers bring May flowers. This saying means: ___. a hard time can lead to a good one / good times lead to bad ones / it rains only in April
  • The best things in life are free. This saying means: ___. costly things matter most / stores give things away / what matters most costs nothing
  • Better safe than sorry. This saying means: ___. apologies fix everything / being careful beats taking a risk / risks always pay off
  • The bigger they are, the harder they fall. This saying means: ___. big things never fail / tall people trip more often / the mighty have the biggest downfalls
  • Birds of a feather flock together. This saying means: ___. all birds fly south / opposites spend time together / people who are alike stick together
  • Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. This saying means: ___. count eggs each morning / do not rely on what has not happened / plan on every good thing
  • Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. This saying means: ___. check a horse's teeth daily / do not find fault with a gift / inspect every present closely
  • Don't put all your eggs in one basket. This saying means: ___. baskets break eggs / do not risk everything on one thing / put all your hopes in one plan
  • The early bird gets the worm. This saying means: ___. birds eat only at dawn / latecomers get the best share / those who come first do best
  • Easy come, easy go. This saying means: ___. easy wins last forever / visitors leave early / what is easily won is easily lost
  • Every cloud has a silver lining. This saying means: ___. bad days have nothing good / rain clouds are made of silver / something good hides in bad times
  • Every dog has its day. This saying means: ___. dogs need a daily walk / everyone gets a moment of success / only a few ever get a turn
  • Every rose has its thorn. This saying means: ___. good things come with some trouble / nice things have no downside / roses should be cut short
  • First come, first served. This saying means: ___. dinner is at one o'clock / the last to arrive is helped first / whoever arrives first is helped first
  • Good fences make good neighbors. This saying means: ___. minding your own business keeps peace / neighbors should share everything / tall fences keep dogs in
  • Good things come to those who wait. This saying means: ___. patience is rewarded / the first in line gets nothing / waiting wastes time
  • The grass is always greener on the other side. This saying means: ___. neighbors water their lawns / what others have always looks better / what you have always looks best
  • Haste makes waste. This saying means: ___. hurrying saves the most time / rushing leads to mistakes / trash should go out fast
  • He who hesitates is lost. This saying means: ___. it is best to wait and see / slow walkers lose their way / wait too long and the chance is gone
  • History repeats itself. This saying means: ___. history books are too long / the past never returns / things that happened can happen again
  • Honesty is the best policy. This saying means: ___. a small lie saves trouble / rules should be written down / telling the truth works out best
  • Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. This saying means: ___. always expect the worst / never plan for problems / stay hopeful but be ready for trouble
  • If you can't beat them, join them. This saying means: ___. clubs need more members / keep fighting a stronger side / side with those you cannot defeat
  • If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. This saying means: ___. do it yourself to be sure it is right / helpers always do it better / wells should be dug by hand
  • Let sleeping dogs lie. This saying means: ___. bring up old arguments again / do not stir up old trouble / dogs sleep best at night
  • Lightning never strikes twice in the same place. This saying means: ___. a rare event will not happen again / bad luck always repeats / storms come in pairs
  • Make hay while the sun shines. This saying means: ___. hay grows only in summer / use a good chance while it lasts / wait for a rainy day to work
  • Many hands make light work. This saying means: ___. a job is easier when people share it / big hands lift more / work alone to finish sooner
  • The more the merrier. This saying means: ___. big crowds are too loud / more people make it more fun / small groups have the most fun
  • Necessity is the mother of invention. This saying means: ___. mothers make inventions / need pushes people to invent / people invent only for fun
  • Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This saying means: ___. do it now, not later / save every task for later / tomorrow has more hours
  • No news is good news. This saying means: ___. hearing nothing means nothing is wrong / newspapers print happy stories / silence always means trouble
  • Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This saying means: ___. never try anything new / staying home is the safest / you must take a chance to win anything
  • Old habits die hard. This saying means: ___. habits are quick to drop / it is hard to change what you always do / old things break easily
  • Once bitten, twice shy. This saying means: ___. a bad time makes you bolder / being hurt once makes you careful / dogs bite twice
  • One good turn deserves another. This saying means: ___. favors need no thanks / repay a kindness with a kindness / take turns on the swings
  • One man's trash is another man's treasure. This saying means: ___. everyone likes the same things / garbage trucks carry gold / what one person tosses, another values
  • Out of sight, out of mind. This saying means: ___. close your eyes to think / what you do not see, you soon forget / you miss most what is far away
  • People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. This saying means: ___. do not criticize a fault you share / glass walls break easily / point out everyone's mistakes
  • Practice makes perfect. This saying means: ___. doing it often makes you good at it / practice must be perfect / skill comes without trying
  • The proof of the pudding is in the eating. This saying means: ___. pudding must be eaten cold / you can judge it before trying / you only know it works by trying it
  • Rome wasn't built in a day. This saying means: ___. big things take a long time to make / great work can be done at once / Rome is a very old city
  • Seeing is believing. This saying means: ___. believe everything you hear / glasses help you read / you trust what you see for yourself
  • Silence is golden. This saying means: ___. always speak your mind / gold makes no sound / sometimes saying nothing is best
  • Slow and steady wins the race. This saying means: ___. only the fastest finish / patient work gets there in the end / slow runners get medals
  • Something is better than nothing. This saying means: ___. a little is better than none at all / nothing is the best choice / small gifts are worthless
  • The squeaky wheel gets the grease. This saying means: ___. old carts need new wheels / quiet people get helped first / whoever speaks up gets the help
  • Still waters run deep. This saying means: ___. ponds are deeper than rivers / quiet people have little to say / quiet people may have deep thoughts
  • Strike while the iron is hot. This saying means: ___. act while the chance is there / hot metal is easy to carry / wait until the chance has passed
  • There's no time like the present. This saying means: ___. gifts should come on time / later is always better / now is a good time to do it
  • Tomorrow is another day. This saying means: ___. every day is the same / today is the last chance / you get a fresh start tomorrow
  • Too many cooks spoil the broth. This saying means: ___. more helpers always do better / soup needs one spoon / too many people in charge spoil a job
  • Two heads are better than one. This saying means: ___. tall people think better / two people solve more than one alone / work is best done alone
  • Two wrongs don't make a right. This saying means: ___. a second bad act does not fix the first / getting even makes things fair / wrong answers cancel out
  • Variety is the spice of life. This saying means: ___. doing the same thing is best / new and different things keep life fun / spicy food is the best food
  • Waste not, want not. This saying means: ___. never throw anything away / use things wisely and you will not lack / use up everything quickly
  • Well begun is half done. This saying means: ___. a good start makes the rest easier / stop when half is finished / the start does not matter
  • When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This saying means: ___. act the same way everywhere / follow the customs of where you are / Romans dress alike
  • When one door closes, another opens. This saying means: ___. a lost chance is followed by a new one / a lost chance is gone for good / shut doors to keep heat in
  • When the cat's away the mice will play. This saying means: ___. mice are afraid of toys / people behave best unwatched / without a boss, people do as they please
  • Where there's smoke, there's fire. This saying means: ___. a rumor often has some truth in it / campfires make smoke / rumors are never true
  • You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. This saying means: ___. being rude gets you your way / flies like sweet food / kindness persuades better than rudeness
  • You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. This saying means: ___. horses dislike cold water / people do whatever they are shown / you can offer help but not force it
  • You can't judge a book by its cover. This saying means: ___. books need bright covers / looks do not tell you what is inside / you can tell by looking
  • You can't teach an old dog new tricks. This saying means: ___. it is easy to change old ways / old dogs sleep all day / old ways are hard to change

How this list was compiled: The proverbs are old English sayings, most of them traditional with no known author; the entry for each saying in the English Wiktionary gives what is known of its history, and a few go back to a fable, an old book or a speech of more than a hundred years ago. The blanks, the wrong words and the meaning lines are our own. In the first set a proverb has one word missing, and only one of the three words makes the saying as people say it. In the second set the whole proverb is printed and the sheet asks what it means: one choice is its meaning, one reads the words too literally and one says the opposite. Each proverb is worded as the title of its entry in the English Wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org), and each meaning was checked against that entry, read 3 October 2026; the address of the entry is saved with each item. Sayings about faith, illness, money lost or alcohol were left out, and a saying whose entry gives two opposite meanings has no meaning item. Recognizing and explaining common idioms, adages and proverbs is L.4.5b and L.5.5b in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, published at thecorestandards.org, read the same day. Licence: Old proverbs in the public domain; the blanks, the choices and the meaning lines are own work.

How it works

The bank holds old English sayings such as Haste makes waste and Two heads are better than one. The opening set prints each saying whole with three meanings to choose from; a second set leaves a word out.

Read the full guide

What it means

The page opens on this set. For Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, one choice is the meaning (do not rely on what has not happened), one reads the words too literally and one says the opposite.

Finish the proverb

Pick this set under Set. A stitch in time saves ___ offers nine, five and twelve. All three are numbers, but only nine makes the saying as people say it.

  • Sayings vary a little from place to place; each one here is worded as its Wiktionary entry is titled.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between an adage and a proverb?

In everyday use, none. Wikipedia's article Proverb defines a proverb or an adage as a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience.

Do these work as 4th grade idioms, adages and proverbs worksheets?

For adages and proverbs, yes: the Common Core standard is the same in grade 4 and grade 5, to recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages and proverbs (L.4.5b, L.5.5b). Idioms have a page of their own here.

Where do the proverbs come from?

Most are traditional sayings with no known author; a few go back to a fable, an old book or a speech. Each has an entry in the English Wiktionary, read on 3 October 2026, and the meaning on the sheet follows that entry.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The last page is the key, with the right choice circled under each sentence and written in where there is a blank. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print the sheet alone.

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